1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a system of measuring RON and/or MON values of lower boiling point hydrocarbon fluids and/or fuels.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and a system of measuring RON and/or MON values of lower boiling point hydrocarbon fluids and/or fuels, where the method includes combusting a sample of a lower boiling point hydrocarbon fluid and/or fuel in a constant volume combustion chamber (CVCC) under conditions to produce combustion data of pressure versus time or a combustion pressure versus time profile, selecting one data point or a plurality of data points from the data and deriving a RON and/or MON value using a series expansion about the selected points.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current methods and systems for measuring RON and/or MON values are based either on engine data or are based on data from a constant volume combustion chamber. The methods and systems utilizing constant volume combustion chamber apparatuses determine RON and/or MON values from an equation that uses a single point from the of pressure versus time combustion data that corresponds to a given change in chamber pressure after injection of a fuel sample. These methods are wrought with uncertainity for fuels having different amount of faster burning fuel components and using apparatuses that a capable of differentiating between faster and slower burning fuel components.
Thus, there is a need in the art for methods and systems for determining RON and/or MON values from constant volume combustion chamber apparatuses, especially in apparatuses capable of differentiating between faster and slower burning fluid components, where the methods and systems utilize data a pressure versus time profile in a series expansion about selected data points from the curve to derive improved RON and/or MON values for lower boiling point hydrocarbon fluids and/or fuels.